Illuminated board for draftsmen or the like



Sept. 27, 1938. D. J. LESPERANCE- ILLUMINATED BOARD FOR DRAFTSMEN OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1956 verazzce p 1938. D. J. LESPERANCE 2,131,708

ILLUMINATED BOARD FOR DRAFTSMEN OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 11, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 of the arms I2.

Patented Sept. 27, 1938 Q UNITED) STATES 'ILLUMINATED BOARD FOR 'DRAFTSIVIEN OR THE LIKE Delore J. Lesperance, Two Rivers, Wis., assignor tov Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Two Rivers, Wis., a corporation .of Wisconsin I Application December 11, 1936, Serial No. 115,332

2 Claims.

This invention relates to illuminated boards for draftsmen or the like, and aims to provide an improved board provided with lighting means having enhanced adjustability and flexibility while illuminating a maximum area of a large size board substantially uniformly. .At the same time, the working surface of the board remains unobstructed.

According to a preferred form of the invention, the light-supporting means may be kept at all times within the perpendicular projection of the board without sacrificing a maximum of adjustability.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following more detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a drafting board with my invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the structure of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of parts of the invention, partially in section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a partial plan section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 55 of Fig. 2, with parts removed.

In the illustrative construction shown in the drawings, the drafting board I0 is of the usual type commonly tiltably supported on a table or the like, not here shown.

In accordance with the present invention, at each side of the board I0 is attached as by a bracket H a swivel arm [2 of somewhat gooseneck pipe-like formation, and p-ivotally connected and carried by the inner ends of the arms I2 is a supporting means I3 for incandescent electric light bulbs, or the like, for illuminating the board.

A maximum of flexibility and adjust'ability for the bulb-supporting means l3 while at the same time maintaining the working surface of the board unobstructed, is provided by the next described mechanism.

In accordance with the preferred construction, the board I0 is of sheet metal and has underturned margins such as M (Fig. 3) to which a bracket H may be fixedly secured by bolts Io. Aligned oiT-set portions on the board margin and bracket, abutting at l6 further assure against rotation of the bracket with respect to the board. The bracket H has a laterally extending vertical bore bearing portion I I in which is journaled, through the intermediation of a bushing l8, one By means of a set-screw IQ, for

example, the bushing l8 may be vertically adjusted in the bearing I! to raise or lower the arm I2 with respect to the drafting board. The upright portion of the arm [2 is inserted from aboveinto the bushing I8 and moved downwardly therethe board. At their inner ends the arms l2 are.

again turned upwardly as at 2|a to carry a pin 22. The pin 22 may be received in a mating cavity in the portion 21a of the arm and fixedly secured therein as by rivet 23.

The bulb-supporting means l3, which is carried by the inner ends of the arms, is desirably elongated so as to be very nearly the length of the board In, for the purpose of illuminating a maximum area of the board. This bulb-supporting means is here shown as an inverted trough also desirably of sheet metal construction. Advantageously the forward wall of this trough slants visor-like toward the draftsman as at 24. The ends of the trough may be reinforced as at 25 by a channel-like member conformed to the inner cross-section of the trough and having vertically spaced walls 26 through which rotatably pass the bolt 22. Thus the arms l2 are swiveled on the drafting board and the ends of the trough I3 are pivotally connected to the arms 'for adjustment to various positions above the board ID as shown in Fig. 1.

To afford further flexibility or adjustability while insuring that the arms and bulb-supporting. means need not be moved outside of the vertical projection of the board ill, I have here shown the arms articulated intermedially as at U, to-

flex only in a plane parallel with the board. For this purpose the horizontal portion 2! of the arm may have a pivoted section 28 hingedly connected at 2'! by the structure next described. The arm section 28 as here shown has a flattened end 29 enlarged at one side as at 3B and received between vertically spaced apart jaw members 3! of the arm section 2| proper, similarly enlarged as at 31a to form bearing portions vertically aligned with the bearing portion 36, these jaw members being formed in a casting 32, for example, having a bore 33 in which the pipe-like arm 82 is received, the parts being welded as at 3 1. A bolt 35 passes through apertures in hearing extensions 30 of the part 29 and am of the jaws 31 to permit the flexing of the arms as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The abutment as at 36 of the parts 29 and 32 of the arm prevents the arms from being flexed in one direction; that is, when the bulb-supporting means !3 is in the advanced position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 the arms can be flexed only rearwardly.

Play between the part 29 and jaws 3| may be taken up by a steel washer 3'! and fibre washer 38. Also washer 39 may be inserted between the bulbsupporting means I 3 and the ends 2 la. of the arms to reduce wear at this point.

Any suitable arrangement can be availed of to secure the bulbs in the trough l3. For example, brackets 49 suitably welded to the inner faces of the trough may have bolted thereto both a bulb socket 4| and a transparent screen 42 such as a glass plate which serves to difiuse the light from the bulbs. Conductors 43, which may be suitably connected with the bulbs by wiring (not here shown) may be led into the trough l3 as at 44, the conductors 43 being usual electric light cords which may be draped across the desk to follow the trough l3 in its movement. In this instance I have shown a plurality of bulbs 45, four in all, advantageously of the elongated type common in illuminating troughs for example, such as are used in window or showcase dis- The trough [3 may upon its exterior front edge be provided with a turned up portion 48 which serves as a pencil tray for the draftsman. The

other edges of the trough are desirably turned inwardly as at 4'! to avoid a sharp edge thereon.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. In an adjustable drafting board light adapted to illuminate a maximum area of a large size drafting board simultaneously, the

combination comprising an elongated supporting means of a length approximating the length of the board for carrying a plurality of incandescent bulbs or other sources of light arranged longitudinally of said. supporting means and carried thereby directed toward the board, a pair of arms each of goose-neck formation swivelled at one end on the board and attheir other ends respectively pivotally connected to said supporting means and carrying the latter in its plane of movement spaced above and parallel with said board, and means associated with the swivelled connection of the arms to the board for adjusting said arms vertically to vary the height of the supporting means above the board.

2. In an adjustable drafting board light adapted to illuminate a maximum area of a large size drafting board simultaneously, the combination comprising an elongated supporting means of a length approximating the length of the board for carrying a plurality of incandescent bulbs or other sources of light arranged longitudinally of said supporting means and carried thereby directed toward the board, a pair of arms each of goose-neckiormation swivelled at one end on the board and at their other ends respectively pivotally connected to said supporting means and carrying the latter in its plane of movement spaced above and parallel with said board, said arms being intermedially articulated proximate their ends connected to the supporting means for articulation in a plane parallel with the plane of movement of said supporting means whereby enhanced flexibility of the device is provided.

DELORE J. LESPERANCE. 

